frequentflyer2,
I'm with you.
.... basically uneducated pond life ....
That's exactly what they are. They do not have a PPL, or an ATPL, or an aeronautical engineering degree.
They expect an aircraft to take them from A to B, like a bus, a train or a car (and as safely, please).
So when things appear to be coming apart at the seams, they panic.
I don't blame them.